There’s the nostalgic glow of ABC sitcom “The Goldbergs,” the goofiness of Netflix revival “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp,” the Cold War tensions of FX’s “The Americans,” and coming later this month on ABC the crime thriller “Wicked City,” set on the Sunset Strip in 1983.

While all of those use the decade of leg warmers as a setting, the new Amazon comedy “Red Oaks” feels like it actually comes out of the ’80s rather than faux ’80s.

“Even the editing stuff does, like the cross fades,” notes Craig Roberts, one of the show’s stars.

Another star of “Red Oaks,” Jennifer Grey, who is sitting on a sofa with them, jumps in, and a brief discussion of ’80s film technique erupts.

Finally, Roberts deadpans, “I know nothing. But it’s fun to do something about the ’80s.”

The series is indeed fun to watch — well written with engaging characters (Roberts’ geeky film observation is something his “Red Oaks” character might say)— and is available today for Amazon Prime members.

The 24-year-old Welsh actor (“Submarine,” “22 Jump Street”) plays David Meyers, an NYU student who’s working as an assistant tennis pro at Red Oaks, a New Jersey country club, in the summer of 1985. His father, Sam (Richard Kind), wants him to become an accountant, but David is more interested in French cinema.

During a tennis match in the opening scene of “Red Oaks,” David’s dad keels over with a heart attack. Believing he’s dying, Sam suddenly gasps out a string of confessions to his son, including having a thing for “Oriental” women and that he thinks his wife (Grey) may be a lesbian.

Sam recovers but David can’t look at life the same way and begins to re-evaluate everything, including his high school girlfriend Karen (Gage Golightly). Meanwhile, he’s hustling to keep his job at the club, where he has to please its big cheese, Getty (Reiser), who questions whether he’s a good enough player.

“Red Oaks,” created by Joe Gangemi and Gregory Jacobs, was intended as a movie. Jacobs says their loose template was “The Graduate” meets “Caddyshack,” but Steven Soderbergh, who signed on as an executive producer, convinced them to make it into a series. They then brought in David Gordon Green (the upcoming “Our Brand Is Crisis”), who directed the pilot episode.

When “Red Oaks” passed muster with Internet fans last year, a full 10-episode season was ordered. Green came back for two more episodes, and Amy Heckerling (“Clueless” and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”) and Hal Hartley (“Trust,” “Henry Fool”) were among the other directors.

The fact that Grey (“Dirty Dancing,” “Red Dawn” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”) and Reiser (“Diner,” “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Aliens”) became stars in the 1980s adds an interesting twist to the series, but “Red Oaks” doesn’t really trade on that.

“There a nice balance to it. It’s pretty authentic, but they don’t jam it down your throat. It’s not like a cartoon,” says Reiser.

Of course, Reiser and Roberts have to wear those tight, short shorts.

“You put them on and you go, ‘Oh my God, they are embarrassing,’ ” says Reiser, “but that’s the way they wore them at the time.”

“People tell me the clothing is coming back, but I say, ‘It looks great on you — if you’re in your 20s,’ ” observes Grey, who notes that she wears a lot of faded, high-waisted jeans and jeans skirts in the series.

What Reiser likes about the show is that “as much as these characters and situations seem familiar, the writers avoid clichés. They go to interesting places. The characters aren’t two-dimensional.” That includes his own, adding that “Getty could have ended up being a blowhard, but there are moments of gentleness in him.”

All the while, Roberts, who has been mostly quiet during the interview, looks contemplative. The actor, whose home is in London, is also an aspiring filmmaker. He has made a low-budget dark comedy, “Just Jim,” and was writing another one while shooting “Red Oaks.”

When Grey hears this, she asks incredulously, “You were writing while you’re acting in everything?”

“Yeah,” Roberts admits sheepishly.

“You just make me feel bathed in self-loathing,” she sighs.

“Nobody likes a show-off,” Reiser adds.

Where to watch

What: 10-episode comedy set at a country club in 1985, starring Paul Reiser, Jennifer Grey, Richard Kind and Craig Roberts.

Rob Lowman began at the L.A. Daily News working in editing positions on the news side, including working on Page 1 the day the L.A. Riots began in 1992. In 1993, he made the move to features, and in 1995 became the Entertainment Editor for 15 years. He returned to writing full time in 2010. Throughout his career he has interviewed a wide range of celebrities in the arts. The list includes the likes of Denzel Washington and Clint Eastwood to Kristin Stewart and Emma Stone in Hollywood; classical figures like Yo Yo Ma and Gustavo Dudamel to pop stars like Norah Jones, Milly Cyrus and Madonna; and authors such as Joseph Heller, John Irving and Lee Child. Rob has covered theater, dance and the fine arts as well as reviewing film, TV and stage. He has also covered award shows and written news stories related to the entertainment business. A longtime resident of Santa Clarita, Rob is still working on his first more-than-30-year marriage, has three grown children (all with master's degrees) and five guitars.

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